Forwards and backwards
by bc713
Summary: Summary: Naruto gets hit by a misfired jutsu that breaches the limits of time, and drags the past Naruto and the future Naruto from their respective times. Thus, chaos insues. not a happy fic. Get-Sasuke-back arc.Oh, and Naruto is chunin. No pairings yet.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Naruto gets hit by a misfired jutsu that breaches the limits of time, and drags the past Naruto and the future Naruto from their respective times. Thus, chaos insues. **not** a happy fic. Get-Sasuke-back arc.Oh, and Naruto is chunin.

* * *

BREEP!

BREEP!

BREEP!

BREE-CRACK!

"Dammit!" Naruto hissed as he untangled himself from his warm blankets. Once again he had destroyed his alarm clock for the unspeakable crime of disturbing his slumber, the only thing he held more sacred than training. But the accursed clock, in its last moments, had avenged its fallen kin by piercing his hand with shards of bright plastic. He stared irritably at his hand; beads of blood began to blossom from the splinters. _wonderful. just peachy._

Naruto slid from his beloved bed to go clean up. The moment his feet hit the ice-cold floor, a naucious wave of apprehension washed over him. _Somehow, I know today is really going to suck._ He wistfully glanced back down at his bed. Maybe he could go back to sleep and hope fate would be kinder to him tomorrow. _Fate. Now I'm starting to sound like Neji /sigh/. _Nope. Not possible. Tsunade had a mission for him today, and he couldn't just skirt his duties to Konoha, even though she was the only one who would let him. He shook those negative thoughts away for the time being. Naruto squared his shoulders and went to the bathroom to clean his hand, all the while ignoring the nervous twinge in his gut.

_It's just the milk. Right?_

Naruto ran off to the Hokage Tower while dodging the occasional rock. He ignored it like always, but it always stung. It took all he had not to hate them for it.

_Stupid villagers. Can't they just bug off?! _

_No. Don't think like that. A Hokage loves the whole village._

With that thought his dream seemed even farther out of reach than it did when he was twelve.

/badthoughtsbadthoughtsbadthoughtsbadthoughtsbadthoughtsbadthoughtsbadthoughts/

He entered Tsunade's office half an hour later. Naruto's eyes widened. Instead of Sakura and Sai waiting for him, there was Neji, Lee, and Shikamaru. Well, this sure brought back memories. Bad ones. Just more bad feelings to pile on. _Great._

"There you are Naruto. Now we can get started." Tsunade staightened the papers on her desk." As you can see this isn't your regular mission. You four are going to be intercepting some rogue Grass nins. They've stolen a scroll from a special client, and we need you to get the scroll and return it."

Shikamaru frowned slightly."Special client?" Tsunade pursed her lips wryly.

"Yes. The client is a scroll horder of sorts. He likes to study old writings and jutsu theories that have been deemed utter crockery by most of the known world. However, he has begun _experimenting_ with some of them and has claimed to have a few succeed. We don't really know just how successful his work is, but he is a sympathetic to Konoha and we would like to keep it that way." Naruto wrinkled his nose.

"So basically, he's an old quack with friendly relations to Konoha? Are you sure you just don't owe him money? OW!" Tsunade knocked him in the head. Naruto sat in a corner sulking over his bruise. The others sweatdropped in exasperation.

"So What!? Anyway, he must have done something right. Otherwise the Grass nin wouldn't have stolen from him.Shikamaru, you're in charge. Just get it back to him at this address." She pushed the mission scroll forward."The Grass nin were reported to be Chunin level but be on guard. They managed to get past his security, so they are more than decent."

Neji raised his hand." This mission is only labeled as a B-class mission. If it is as immportant as you say it is, shouldn't you send jounin instead?" Tsunade gave them a weary look.

"We lack the evidence of its importance, and we can't spare any jounin right now. Besides you have all proven yourselves against higher jounins before, and I'm sure you can handle it. Just be careful." She sent a pointed glance at the blonde. Naruto bowed his head curtly. That twinge in his stomach was going again.

"Well, you are dismissed!" The four poofed away. Tsunade slumped over her desk.

_Man, I need a drink. Take care of yourself, gaki._

If only she knew.

/

The four shinobi were swiftly heading towards the last known location of the Grass nin. Every step of the way Naruto really wished he had stayed in bed. That anxious feeling was annoying him. He should have just trusted his gut. It had never let him down before, so why was he doubting it? A firm voice cut his internal musings.

"Naruto! Pay attention!" Neji chided. He had been watching Naruto since they left Konoha. The boy had been fazing out every five minutes. They couldn't afford any distractions."Are you alright?" Naruto shook his head frantically.

"Y-Yeah, sorry." _Dammit! _

" Troublesome..Don't get distracted. You heard Tsunade, we have to stay on guard." Shikamaru glanced back at Naruto. If he kept blinking out on them the plan could unravel on them.

"Yosh! My dear friend! We must not allow the flames of our youth to falter in front of our enemies. We will awe them with the-"

"Lee...Shut up."

"So troublesome."

"Thanks Lee. I'll remember it."

Neji activated his Byakugan."The targets are in sight." The others slowed.

"Good, remember the plan and keep on your toes." They nodded in confirmation and split off to surround their quarry.

/

"Watch it!" One of the Grass nin swung a bladed chain at Lee while twisting to send an earth jutsu at Naruto. There were six nuke nin heading eastward. Naruto and Lee caught them by surprised from the north with Neji and Shikamaru closing in from the west. The heavy battery assault from Naruto and Lee had rattled them and they desperately swung out in an attempt to make an opening for escape. Their panic left them wide open for the finishing blows from Neji and Shika.

Only two more were left, but they were also of higher claiber than their commrades.

"Hand over the scroll, and we'll let you off easy." Neji said to the taller nin. Shikamaru prepared to capture them with his Shadow jutsu, while Naruto shifted to cover the shorter nuke nin. Lee kept an eye on the unconscious nins, prepared to step in if necessary.

The older Grass nin knew he couldn't get away without sacrificing either his mission or his teamates. He glanced at his remaining partner. The guy looked like he was ready to surrender already. The coward. _Feh, you deserve to die._

"Like hell! Futon: Summer Cloud Jutsu!!" Suddenly a heavy fog of pollen enveloped the clearing blinding the Konoha nins. He sped toward his stunned teamate, kunai drawn.

"Damn! My eyes! "

"Don't let him get away!"

"AGH!" The shorter grass nin was stabbed by his ex-commrade and left to die. The other nin took the scroll from his pouch and fled.

Naruto felt the wind shift as the Grass nin fled. _There! _He gave chase. Looking back he probably should have yelled for the others to follow.

The fleeing nin led Naruto out of the cloud of choking pollen. The blonde summoned several clones and activated his jutsu."Futon: Shadow shuriken!" He unleashed a flurry of shuriken whizzing towards the nin and moved into position to head him off.

"F-ing brat!!" He twisted around to deflect the oncoming projectiles, only to come face to face with one of the Narutos. It headbutted the man before dispatching as the shuriken hit their mark."ARGH!!" He fell back in pain, his mind still dazed from the strike. Another clone snatched the scroll from him, while the original and the other clones moved in to incapacitate him. In a last ditch attempt to stop the barage, the nin frantically copied the handsigns he had read from the scroll.

"T-Time Warp Jutsu!!" A flash of blue and silver light blasted the clones and engulfed Naruto._Oh.Crap._

"AAAAHHHH!!"

/

"AAAAHHHH!!"

"That was Naruto!!" Neji shouted. Lee had blown the pollen away with a whirlwind taijutsu techniche, and Naruto had been nowhere to be found.

"Quickly! Let's go!" Shikamaru ordered. _This is so not good! _He had sworn not to fail another mission. He'd be damned if they lost Naruto. Troublesome didn't even begin to cover it.

They sped in the direction of his scream. All sharing the same thought.

_Don't let us be too late!_

_/_

_"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!" _He felt like he was being pulled in half. He couldn't see anything but the blinding light from the jutsu, and nothing he did would stop it.

But he could hear. His scream sounded weird. Like two other people were screaming with him. _Please don't let it be any of the others. _It was the last thing he wanted. He would gladly suffer if the others were spared the same pain. However...It...didn't sound like any of them. It sounded like a child's and a man's voice screaming with him. That in itself was creepy enough.

Naruto vaguely felt the pain begin to subside, but the screams became louder...more defined. There were now two people, both clearly audible, screaming alongside him.

And then...it stopped.

Naruto fell limply to the ground. As the blackness caved in on him, he faintly heard two thumps fall next to him.

"Naruto!" It was Neji. He sounded so far away.

"'the heck!?"Shikamaru.He's okay, but where's-

"Naruto-kun, what-?" Lee. They were all accounted for.

_Thank...goodness.._

Then there was blessed silence.

* * *

I thought I'd try my hand at a Naruto fic, in case my D-gray man fic didn't work out.

So many ideas, so little time.

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**Jiraiya will not die in this fic. As for pairings, I'm open to suggestions.**

**Disclaimer: Of course I don't own Naruto! **

**Chapter 2**

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"Alright. I sent you on a relatively simple mission. Now explain to me how you left with one Naruto and came back with _three_!!

Shikamaru sighed. _So, soo troublesome. _Here they stood in front of a very angry mother bear, trying to explain what happened to her precious cub.

"We don't _know_ what happened. When Lee cleared the pollen cloud, Naruto was gone. Apparently he chased the shinobi who had the scroll. We didn't know where he went until we heard him scream.

/

_"AAAAHHHH!!"_

_"That's Naruto!!" They sped in the direction of the scream hoping against hope that they weren't too late. They were suddenly blinded by a bright light._

_"Urk! I can't see! Where is he!?"_

_"I don't know!"_

_"Naruto!"_

_When the light dimmed they rushed forward to save their blonde commrade. None of them were prepared for the scene that awaited them._

_"Naruto!"_

_"what the heck!?"_

_There in front of them was an unconscious Naruto, but on both sides of him were what appeared to be two other unconscious Narutos. Shikamaru frantically tried to take in the situation. On his right there was a child Naruto, a familiar memory from his childhood with the blonde. The boy couldn't be any older than nine. He wore a white T-shirt with an orange spiral in the center and blue shorts. _

_The man on his left, however scared the crap out of him. He looked to be in his mid-twenties. The adult had messy gold locks that framed his angular, whiskered face. He wore armor and arm guards that resembled the Konoha ANBU over a black shirt with black pants and sandals. His lithe and well-built figure screamed power and skill, but that's not what scared him. Wrapped around his bicep was a slashed Konoha headband. 'A traitor?'_

_Neji ran forward to check their Naruto's vitals. "He's okay, just out." He turned to look at the others."What do we do about them and _him_?" Shikamaru looked in the direction Neji motioned to. There was the last Grass nin, dazed by the force of the jutsu. He ran over to him and incapacitated him. _

_"What did you do?!" He demanded. The nin flinched under the glares. _

_"I-I just used the jutsu I found in the scroll! I swear I don't know what it did." Lee went to where the scroll, or what was left of it, lay. _

_"I don't know if this is recoverable, Shikamaru." His spherical eyes were wide with worry. "What do we do now?"_

_He sighed."Neji, seal this guy's chakra nodes." He glanced at the 'adult' Naruto. "Him too. Just in case." Neji nodded. "Lee, after Neji's done, I want you to carry them."_

_"I guess I'll take the kid, if you're okay with it Neji." "sure."_

_They picked up the three Naruto's and the Grass-nin and returned to Konoha._

_'so, troublesome.'_

/

"And then we came here, handed over the Grass-nin and the..three Narutos." Shikamaru finished.

Tsunade groaned. " So he used a jutsu from the scroll, huh? Well that's not going to help us now. It's completely destroyed!" She took a deep swing from her sake jug.

Neji stepped forward. "What happened to Naruto and, the other two?" Tsunade kneaded her temples in annoyance.

"I had them put in three seperate rooms with ANBU guards. When one of them wakes up, we'll interogate them. I've also had blood samples taken from the kid and the guy to confirm that they really are Naruto. We can't be too careful. This is a disaster waiting to happen." She paused to think for a bit.

"Shikamaru, Neji, and Lee, I want you to go fetch the rest of the rookie nine and your teachers. We need to inform them about what happened. Oh, and get Jiraiya and Iruka too."

"Wait,do we need to tell all of them. Isn't it better if as few people know of this as possible?" Neji asked. She sighed again.

"Truthfully, yes that would be preferable, but we also need to have some people know just in case something happens. Especially with the older Naruto. I don't want to believe that he would leave the village, but I can't put the village in danger if he turns out to be a traitor either."

They lowered their heads reluctantly in understanding and went to do as they were told.

/

Sakura had just finished running an errand for her mother. It was her day off and Naruto had gone on a different mission. Kakashi was probably off reading his peverted little book somewhere. All in all it was a peacefull afternoon.

She decided to go and visit Ino at her family's flowershop. It had been a while since she had seen her friend and was hoping they could go out for a girl's day out. The bell rung as she entered the shop.

"Irashima-Oh! Hi Sakura! What's up?"

"Nothing much, just thought I'd visit. It's my day off, and I have nothing to do." Ino pouted at her.

"Huh! Lucky. I have to stay here and mind the shop again. I really need to get out more-" **Ding-a-ling. **Shikamaru rushed into the shop. He looked unusually upset. "Ino! Have you seen-Ah Sakura, there you are!"

"What happened, Shikamaru? Is something wrong?" Sakura became worried. It had to be bad if Shikamaru was upset.

"Hey, I thought you were on a mission, Shika. You didn't ditch did you?" Ino teased, although she also looked concerned.

"Something happened with Naruto." Sakura's heart froze. _No._

"Naruto?! Is he okay?!"

"Tsunade wants us to come to her office.She'll explain when we get there. You too Ino!" He turned quickly to leave.

"Wait Shika! Where are you going?!"

"I have to find the others. All of rookie nine has to be there!" With that he was gone, leaving Sakura and Ino to look at each other in worry.

"We have to hurry! Let's go!!" Ino locked up and they darted off to the tower. Sakura's heart was going a mile-a-minute.

_Please. please let him be okay!_

_/_

"Good Everyone's here!" Jiraiya, Iruka, Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Kurenai, and their teams stood in the Hokage's office. They were shifting in aggitation, impatiently waiting to hear what happened to Naruto. Kakashi didn't even have his book out.

"Naruto went on a retrieval mission with Neji, Shikamaru, and Lee. They were to get a special scroll stolen by rogue Grass nins. The robbee was a scroll horder by the name of Fujioka Hirou. Naruto was chasing down the nin who had the scroll, when the nin performed a jutsu from it. This jutsu apparently has transported the past and future Narutos into the present time. I know this sounds ludicrous, but we have no other way to explain it." There was a moment of silence. _The calm before the storm._

_"_Okay, so what happened to _our _Naruto?!" Kiba yelled. Tsunade frowned at the loudness.

"Quiet! He's just fine. Only unconscious from the blast." The tension in the room melted away in relief. _He's okay._

"What we need to do is figure out what we're going to do with the other two. They really are Naruto. The blood tests came back as a match. We don't know just what will happen if they know that they aren't in their normal time." Shikamaru nodded.

"In theory, it could change everything. If the 'past' Naruto is too deeply affected by being in this time, it could mess up Naruto's present and future, or our own."

The room buzzed with worried whispers. Sakura raised her hand." So don't we just need to send them back as soon as possible?"

Tsunade muttered. " Yes, but don't know how. The scroll was destroyed in the blast of the jutsu. We need to bring Fujioka here to fix the problem, and even then it might not work." Jiraiya growled.

"Well we need to try it anyway. I'll go and drag his ass here, and he'd better have a counter-jutsu. Until then we need to decide what to do with 'them'."

Tsunade gave a curt nod. "Yes, that is why I have called all of you here. We can't allow anyone else to know about this. It is too dangerous. I'm dividing you all up to watch over them."

"Group A: Iruka, Kurenai, Sakura, Hinata, and Ino, I want you to watch the younger Naruto. When he wakes up, I don't want him to know too much yet. Every one except Iruka should only give him your last names. Knowing you before his time could alter the past and future so be careful! Kurenai, you will give me constant updates on him."

"Group B: Kiba, Lee, TenTen, Chouji, and Sai, I want you to keep an eye on our Naruto. When he wakes up, bring him here, so I can tell him what happened. But keep him away from the other two. I don't want them to meet just yet."

"And that leaves Group C: Kakashi, Gai, Asuma, Shikamaru, Neji, and Shino. You will watch the older Naruto. You have the same instructions as Group A. Be very careful with him. He is the one that poses the greatest threat." The others frowned in confusion. Shikamaru, Neji, and Lee stiffened.

"What do you mean by that, Tsunade-hime?" Kakashi sensed there was something very worrying about this. Tsunade pulled out the scratched headband that they had found on the eldest Naruto's arm. The ones that didn't already know gasped in horror and disbelief.

"It can't be!!" Hinata cried. Sakura was speechless.

"Naruto would never defect from Konoha!" Kiba shouted angrily. This had to be some kind of sick joke.

Iruka, whose face had paled, reached forward to inspect the headband. He had given Naruto his headband upon graduating...and...there was no denying it. Although it had many more scratches than when he had last seen it, the old marks were still there. Iruka sadly traced the gash over the Konoha leaf symbol. _What in the world happened._

"Silence! We don't know what will happen in the future. Nothing can be ruled out anymore. Stick to your assignments and we'll find a way to fix this. They are in three of the underground rooms of this tower. The ANBU on guard will tell you which one to go to. Take three hour shifts in pairs, and be careful with what you say! Understood?!"

Once the shinobi had managed to compose themselves they quickly left to man their stations. All trying to gather their scattered thoughts. Jiraiya looked at Tsunade.

"We _will _sort this out, Tsunade." She placed her head in her hands, emotionally drained. He turned to leave.

"When this is all over, how about we go and get a drink? You'll probably need it." The old blonde waved him off wearily. He left. His unspoken message hanging in the air.

_Everything will be okay._

"I really do hope so, Jiraiya."

* * *

Chapter 2 is complete! whoo! this is getting intense! I continue to feed off of your support, so please review!

and go see my other fic : 'Gentle smiles and broken promises' - D-gray man!


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Disclaimer: If I did, there would be less fillers. And Naruto's growth in strength would be more noticeable. **

* * *

_"We will sort this out, Tsunade." She placed her head in her hands, emotionally drained. He turned to leave._

_"When this is all over, how about we go and get a drink? You'll probably need it." The old blonde waved him off wearily. He left. His unspoken message hanging in the air._

_Everything will be okay._

_"I really do hope so, Jiraiya."_

**/future/present/past/**

Kakashi quietly entered the room and took in the suroundings.

The future Naruto lay unmoving on a standard hospital bed; his limbs and chakra tightly restrained. Any and all weapons removed. They had taken every precaution used on a captured rogue. There was just no telling _what_ would happen when the blonde man woke up. Nothing could be taken for granted.

So far the man hadn't shown any signs of waking soon, though his vitals were perfectly fine. The same could be said for the other two. None of the Narutos had even twitched. Was it an aftereffect of the jutsu?

The masked nin restlessly pondered the blonde. What could make Uzumaki Naruto, self-proclaimed Rokudaime, turn rogue? Although he was the one nin who really had any reason to turn his back on Konoha. Fate had hardly been kind to the boy before, so who was to say it would be any kinder in the future? Kakashi sighed wearily. All of the answers lay within the sleeping nin. Until he woke up, they could only guess as to what the future held.

He looked down at the slumbering man.

_Naruto...what happened to you?_

**/future/present/past/**

Sakura paced the hall in front of the past Naruto's door. Ino was inside keeping an eye on him. She just couldn't stay in the room with the boy just laying there so silently. Naruto wasn't ment to be so still. Naruto wasn't ment to defect either. She choked back a sob at the thought.

_How could this happen?! You swore you were going to be the Hokage, Naruto. You promised that we would bring Sasuke back together! Why would you leave?_

"Sakura?" She turned to see the owner of the voice.

"O-Oh, Iruka-sensei. What is it?" The man looked just the way she felt. Tired. Worried. Confused. And hurt. The man had practically been family to Naruto. There was no way he wasn't effected.

"It's my shift. Are you okay?" Sakura smiled weakly. Even in a situation like this the man was always worrying about his former students.

"I-..not really." Iruka mirrored her weary smile.

"Niether am I. It's just so much to take in isn't it?" He looked away. "No one ever thought Naruto would leave Konoha. He always believed in his dreams and kept moving forward no matter the obstacles. I..I still can't believe it." His voice wavered. "I guess I should relieve you and Ino now." He turned and entered the room. Ino came out afterwards. She gave Sakura a comforting look.

"Sakura, shall we go?" Sakura hurridly wiped her eyes.

"Y-Yes. I could use a nap." They left the tower together. Ino tried to lighten the mood a little.

"Looking at the kid now, he is actually pretty cute isn't he?" Sakura gave a watery laugh.

"Yeah he is. I never really paid much attention to him back then. It was always.."_Sasuke._ She lowered her gaze as her guilt washed over her again. If only she could go back and do it over. Things could have been so much better for all of them. Maybe Naruto wouldn't have-She was snapped out of her thoughts by a firm backhand.

**Slap!**

Sakura clutched her cheek in shock.

"I-Ino?"Said girl growled at her.

"Snap out of it Sakura! Throwing a pity party isn't going to make things better!" Her voice softened."What would Naruto-_our _Naruto think if he could see you like this?"

Sakura hung her head.

"We don't know what happened, but maybe we can change it for the better! This could be a chance to do things right! So don't fall in on yourself. Okay?" Sakura smiled at Ino appolegeticaly. She was right. She couldn't just collapse when Naruto needed her.

"Okay."

"Good! And when that guy wakes up, we can pound the information out of him!" Ino punched her fist in the air. Sakura laughed.

"Yeah!"

She had to stay strong.

_For Naruto. For everyone._

**/future/present/past/**

At a house in a thick forest outside of Konoha...

**BAM! BAM! BAM!**

"Fujioka! Open up!" Jiraiya shouted as he slammed his fist against the door. He had sped all the way here to fetch the source of this catastrophe in the making. The three Narutos could wake up at anytime, and they needed to know how to send the other two back without messing up the framework of time.

"I'm coming! Hold your horses!" Came a frantic voice. Hollow clicks rattled against the door as numerous locks and seals were undone. The man really was paranoid.

The heavy door swung open to reveal a short, skinny little old man, about in his eighties. He had grey and white hair drawn back in a messy ponytail that reached teh middle of his back. He wore thick spectacles on the bridge of his nose, and a mint green men's kimono. It had singes all over the front. Probably from his stupid experiments.

"I see those shinobi haven't brought back my scroll yet. Where are they, Jiraiya? They were supposed to be here by now." Fujioka grumbled. Jiraiya growled right back.

"That scroll of yours has just created a potetial disaster, Hirou! You need to bring everything that had to do with it and come with me to Konoha, right now!" The scrauny man's eyes widened.

"What?! Right _now_? But I'm in the middle of-"

"I don't care! Those blasted experiments of yours can wait!" Fujioka flinched at the tone.

"It's _that_ serious? What the heck happened?!"

"I'll tell you on the way! Just get all the scrolls and notes you have on timetravel, so we can go!"

**/future/present/past/**

In the middle room, Kiba and Lee were watching over the present Naruto. Kiba sat in a chair and repetitavely flexed his hands. Lee did some stretches to try and soothe his nerves. The dogboy couldn't take the silence anymore.

**BAM! CRACK! **

"Dammit!" Kiba hissed as he rubbed his sore hand. He had slammed his fist into the sidetable next to Naruto's bed in an attempt to relieve his stress.

"Kiba! You shouldn't make so much noise-"Lee chided.

"None of this makes any sense! Naruto _couldn't_ leave Konoha! It's just not possible!" Kiba shouted, ignoring Lee's protests and Akamaru's whimpers. He needed to vent.

As he ranted one of Naruto's fingers twitched, not that it was noticed by the other occupants. One cerulean orb grudgingly fluttered open at all the noise. Naruto opened his mouth and tried to speak.

"..K-Ki-ba?" The noisy pair froze at the slightly hoarse voice.

"Naruto! You're awake!" Kiba cried as he hurried over to the bedside, with Lee at his heels.

"MY YOUTHFUL FRIEND! YOU HAVE FINALLY AWAKENED!!" Naruto winced at the joyful shout.

"Sheesh, and you were telling _me_ to be quiet?" Kiba sneered goodnaturedly at Lee who was practically bouncing.

"What..what happened? How did I get here?" Naruto was happy to see them too but he was confused right now.

"Tsunade wants to know that too. Do you think you can get up?" Kiba asked. Lee jumped up.

"IF HE CANNOT, THEN I SHALL CARRY HIM! COME NARUTO!!" Lee yelled as he plucked Naruto from the bed.

"A-AH! What!? Wait Lee!! I can walk!! Put me down!!" Naruto cried as he was rushed from the room. Kiba called after them.

"Take him to Tsunade! I'll tell the others!"

**/future/present/past/**

"It really worked?!" The feeble old man shouted clinging onto the back of Jiraiya's toad as they sped towars Konoha."I can't believe that stupid nin actually managed it!" Was it even possible to sound angry and delighted at the same time? Jiraiya snorted as he ran along side.

"It's nothing to be proud of you idiot. That jutsu could screw up the lives of several important people, not including the Kazekage." Fujioka's already magnified eyes widened even further.

"_The_ Kazekage!? Are you trying to tell me that this Naruto is _that_ influencial of a person!?" He said in a mixture of amazement and disbelief.

"He has influenced countless people, and this time warping jutsu of yours could potentially spell disaster for Konoha!" Jiraiya answered."So you had better be able to clean up this mess before that happens, or else you can kiss your scroll vault goodbye." The man paled. All of that information and hard work destroyed! He shuddered.

"O-of course I can! There's no need to be so rash! Honestly!" _My precious scrolls! _He cried mentally.

Jiraiya smirked dryly.

"You'd better, or I'll see to it _personally_." Fujioka gulped.

"All right, all right! Just-..don't get any ideas! Okay?" He whimpered pleadingly. Jiraiya didn't feel like reassuring him.

"I'll _think_ about it."

**/future/present/past/**

Simultaneously in the two remaining rooms...two pairs of ocean blue eyes began to open. They gazed at their surroundings.

One in fear..

The other in cold calculation.

_Where am I?_

* * *

Uh-oh they're awake!

Asuma doesn't die in this fic either. Jiraiya dies in the Future Naruto's time, though.

Please review


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: If I did Naruto's new outfit would be a whole lot cooler. **

**Chapter 4**

* * *

_Simultaneously in the two remaining rooms...two pairs of ocean blue eyes began to open. They gazed at their surroundings._

_One in fear.._

_The other in cold calculation._

_Where am I?_

Terrrifyed blue orbs darted around the room. There were no windows, with a bed and one solid metal door. The young boy slowly pushed up the covers of the mattress he lay in with the air of a frightened deer. The blonde slipped off the bed and crouched on the linoleum floor. His movements stiff and cautious. His mind whirling in confusion and fear.

Where was he? Had the villagers attacked him? Was he in the hospital again?

He frowned slightly. No. It didn't look like the hospital. So where...? All of a sudden the door knob clicked and turned. He froze. Someone was coming in!

He pressed himself into the corner of the room and watched as the door slowly swung open.

/

Two rooms down, the eldest blonde awoke. Similar blue eyes with slitted pupils scanned the room, or what he could see of it, with calculated wariness. The blonde man silently took in his situation. Apparently he had been apprehended. He was strapped to a bed, with his chakra restrained, in a small, windowless room. His location unknown. Most likely hostile territory, but the air had a...familiar smell.

He crained his neck to inspect his restraints, with a calmness that most in his situation could only pray for. Metal shackles that were engraved with cryptic inscriptions to cut off his flow of chakra were tightly fastened on his wrists, ankles, and neck. His arms were pinned on either side of his head, and his legs were held at shoulder width. His torso was held down with leather belts and metal bars. All in all he was completely incapacitated.

_They were pretty thorough. _He thought. As a seasoned shinobi he could appreciate fine work when he saw it, although the method was a little outdated. The chakra restraints were old and could easily be broken. Once his chakra was freed he could melt the metal bars and shackles.

He _could_ just escape now, but he was curious as to who would try to capture _him _with such obsolete equipment. For now he would wait like a good little captive till his jailers came to visit him. Then all hell would break loose. He smirked coldly.

_Come in if you dare._

_/_

"You can't be serious Baa-chan!" Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. His past and future selves had transended time and were here in the present? Who would believe it? Naruto shook his head wildly.

"That's impossible! I think you need to lay off the sake!" Tsunade glared at him.

"I wouldn't believe it either if I hadn't seen them with my own eyes, Naruto! Their blood matches yours to a tee! How else would you explain it?!"

"I don't know! This is just-..it's a lot to take in." He trailed off. Tsunade's glare softened. She gave a tired sigh and leaned back in her chair.

"I'm afraid there is even more you have to hear. Naruto, have you been getting frustrated lately? Have you ever thought about leaving the village?" She asked, gazing at him intently. Naruto stiffened.

"W-what? Why would I _leave_?! I'm trying to become _Hokage_ remember? It's my dream..Why are you even asking me this?!" He growled suspisiously.

Tsunade tossed him the scratched headband. "Because the future 'you' was wearing this." Naruto's hands shook as he studied the defaced metal plate.

"Wha..? This..this isn't-it _can't_ be...Baa-chan, I would never-" She stopped him with her hand.

"I know you wouldn't. We don't know anything for sure yet Naruto. We don't know what happened, but we will find out." She said firmly, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He nodded feebly.

Naruto looked up uncertainly. "So what _are_ we going to do?"

"Send them back of course." said an irritable voice. Naruto whipped around. Jiraiya and another old man carrying a large sack entered the room. The smaller man looked severly rumpled.

Jiraiya smirked broadly, looking very pleased with himself.

"So you're awake, gaki. About time."

"Ero-senin!" Naruto cried. Then he looked at the short old man."Who's this?" The man sniffed.

"_I _am Fujioka Hirou, Master Scroll Keeper and Forbidden Jutsu specialist. I am-"

"-Responsible for the jutsu that caused this mess." Tsunade quipped frostily. "If you had taken your job as Keeper more seriously, instead of dabbling with all those quack jutsu then this wouldn't have happened."

He stilled for a moment."But you must admit that they are not 'quack' as you put it. They are real and functional jutsus that-"

"Could completely ruin the present and future of Konoha!" Tsunade snarled. She was not in the mood for his self-serving excuses. She slammed her hands onto her desk, causing it to split down the middle.

"Now I want you to fix this mess _immediately_, Hirou!!" Fujioka flinched.

"Yes, I know! I'm getting to that!" He sighed and turned to look at Naruto." So this is him? If he is half as influential as you say he is, we'd better get started right away."

He carefully placed his sack on the floor as though it were the finest glass. "Well I guess you should tell me _everything_ that happened, Naruto-kun, as it will be important to the return of your 'selves'."

Naruto gave a tired sigh and began.

"We were heading out on a mission to recover your scroll...

/

Iruka was walking down the hall, having returned from the restroom. Hinata had offered to cover for him. He couldn't believe he was so worn out from just sitting in the room with the young Naruto. It wasn't physical exhaustion, but emotional. Seeing that young face again brought back so many memories. Not all of them good.

He paused momentarily outside of the third room, housing the rogue Naruto. Asuma leaned against the door an nodded at him. The others were probably taking a break as well.

Iruka sighed and turned away. As much as he wanted to see the older version of Naruto, he had to see to his assigned duties. Perhaps later-

"NO! NOO!! LET GO!" It was the scream of a little boy. A little boy he had known six years ago.

He rushed over to the open door and hurried inside Asuma on his heels. Hinata was crouched in front of a tiny Naruto who was pushing himself against the far corner of the room. Her hand was held out to the boy in a placating manner, trying to soothe him. He let out a terryfied shriek when she touched him.

"NOO!! GET AWAY!!" His voice hitting an earsplitting pitch that singed the hair off the back of his neck. Who could immagine the screams of a child were so terrible to hear. Iruka slowly moved forward and called out to the boy.

"Naruto? Naruto it's okay-" The child's frightened and confused eyes swiveled over to them darting between the two.

"W-who are you? How do you know my name!?" Iruka's heart panged. The boy must not have entered the Academy yet. Naruto didn't know him.

"I'm a friend, Naruto. If you calm down, we can talk-"

"Liar! I don't have any friends!" Naruto cried out, startling the three. Taking advantage of their pause, he bolted out the door.

"Ah! Naruto!"

Asuma cursed. "We can't let him get away!" Iruka turned to Hinata.

"Let's go! Asuma, you have to stay at your post. Tell the others if you can!" He shouted over his shoulder as they ran after the frightened boy.

Little Naruto was running down the halls. He recognized this place! It was the Hokage Tower. If he could just find old man Sandaime, _he_ could sort this out!

With that he dashed towards the office.

/

"Hmph! You were very lucky that Grass-nin was somewhat competent. If he had messed up _one_ of those hand signs he could have cause a massive time warp that would have transported _you_ to another time." Fujioka muttered as he mulled over the story. Naruto gulped.

_I really shouldn't have gotten out of bed today._

"Now we just have to sort out _when_ they came from. May I go and see them?" The man asked Tsunade. She sighed.

"Yes. The sooner the better." Naruto stepped forward.

"Can I go too? I want to see them for myself." He said staring her in the eye. She frowned in contemplation.

"I'd rather you not. We don't know how either of them will react to seeing you, much less each other. From what little I understand of these jutsus it could alter history."

Fujioka waved his hand at them. "It's alright Tsunade. I prepared for this with a memory wiping jutsu. Everything those two see or hear will be completely erased if we use it on them before we reverse the jutsu. He can come as long as he doesn't get in the way." Tsunade looked apprehensive.

"Alright. Just to be safe, don't say anything. This whole thing makes me nervous."

As they made to open the door a yellow blur burst into the room and knocked into Naruto.

"Oof! Sarutobi-jii! What-?" The boy cut himself off in horror as he took in the unfamiliar faces. His older counterpart groaned as he sat up.

"Ugh, what hit me?" As he regained his bearings, Naruto caught sight of his past self. They both gasped in shock as they stared at each other.

_Oh, crap._

_/_

"What was _that_ all about?" The elder blonde murmured. The walls must be sound proofed, but some muffed screaming had reached his keen ears. It only raised his suspicions about this place. He could have sworn he heard his old name being called. Where _was_ he? And why did it feel so familiar? Perhaps he should-**Click**

He heard the handle of the heavy metal door rattle, and closed his eyes, slowing his breathing. He could hear the voices of his captors through the crack of the door.

"Yeah, I'm going to go and check. Can you manage for me?" muttered a low voice.

"Sure. Just make sure to report back, Asuma." _Asuma?! I'm in Konoha!?_ Hurried footsteps faded away, and the owner of the other voice entered the room. The man came and sat in the chair that rested next to the bed. He remained still, perfectly replicating a comatose body.

The man in the chair exhaled and leaned back. "What the hell is going on out there?" _That voice! Well, well..._

"My thoughts exactly, Kakashi." The masked man jerked sharply at the reply, his one visible eye widening.

He smiled coldly at the shocked man, not at all pleased to see him.

"Ohisashi buri desu ne.(1)"

Oh yes. Hell, would be an understatement.

He was going to unlease a full on _apocalypse_.

* * *

Ah. Chapter four. Well, he's pissed, and Naru-chan is scared

past: Naru-chan

Present:Naruto

future: um, I'll tell you in ch. 5

1. Long time no see.

Please read and review.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: The fact that I'm making this fanfiction should be proof enough.**

**Past Naruto: 9**

**Present Naruto: 15**

**Future Naruto: 23**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"Ohisashi buri desu ne?" The blonde said with a cold smile.

Kakashi stiffened at the murderous aura leaking into the room. He fought to keep his demeanor casual and calm.

"You're awake." The other shinobi rolled his eyes.

"Well, that's pretty obvious, Kakashi." He cracked his neck lazily, as it was the only part of his body that he could move."You guys have some nerve, dragging me back here after all these years. What could Konoha possibly want with me?" Kakashi frowned at this. He had to be very careful with his answers. They had no idea how this Naruto would react considering the unknowns concerning his possible defection. Carefully placed white lies would have to do for now.

The masked nin made to answer but was cut off.

"I'd consider your answer very carefully, Kakashi, as it could determine if you walk out of this room with your head still attached." The younger nin crooned with a sneer, tensing beneath his restraints, causing the metal and leather to groan.

Kakashi felt his insides wither. The expression did not fit on the blond's face. It was that of a predator baring his teeth. This was the only warning he was going to get.

_What happened to you, Naruto?_

"I don't know all of the details. I'm just here to keep an eye on you." It wasn't a lie, per say, but he couldn't give too much away at this point.

The bound man gazed at him with piercing azure eyes for one long, tense moment before relaxing. He wasn't satisfied with the answer by any means, but he could not find blatent signs of deception. Merely avoidance. _What are you hiding? _The two were quiet for a while; the air was tense and frosty.

"You've grown quite well, Naruto." Kakashi said with a twinge of forlorn wistfulness, after sensing he wasn't going to be torn to shreds. The man shot him an icy glare.

"For the _last_ time, I don't go by that name anymore, Kakashi. I thought you would have figured it out after six years, or are you that much of a sentimental fool?" He hissed, his voice dripping with acid. Kakashi flinched as though the words had been physical blows. The air suddenly became very cold and heavy with bloodlust. The young man's eyes were absolutely frigid.

"It's _Kaien_. Naruto is _gone_, so get over it."

/

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's office, another fiasco was about to explode. The five were frozen in place, completely stunned. The youngest blond gave a sharp yelp and lept off of Naruto.

"Wh-who are you!? Where's Ojiisan!?" He yelled, quickly going into a panic. Who were all of these people?! Why couldn't he remember anything?! The poor boy had the ground ripped out from under him and couldn't get back on his feet. Tsunade slowly moved forward, trying not to scare the boy anymore than he already was.

"Naruto? It's alright. We're not going to hurt you. We just want to talk, okay?" She said in a low voice, crouching down to his level to make herself less of a threat.

Jiraiya shifted subtly in front of the door to block the escape route. He couldn't take his eyes off of the little boy. He had never seen Naruto as a child, and the cherubic face was a painful reminder of his first student. Naruto was flabbergasted at the sight of his tiny counterpart. It was true! This was no genjutsu. Holy #!

The tiny blond watched her warily. "Where's Sarutobi-jiisan? Why isn't he here?" Naruto, Jiraiya, and Tsunade stilled in horror. _Oh no._ Fujioka watched, quietly preparing to wipe the boy's mind if the situation got any worse.

"Naru-chan, this is going to be hard to understand, but you have to listen to me, alright?" Tsunade said gently. They had to be very careful. It was like trying to defuse a bomb. The boy seemed to warm a bit to Tsunade's maternal aura, but remained cautious. People had tricked him before, and he wasn't going to fall for nice words again.

"..Okay." He muttered nervously. Tsunade told him a slightly watered-down version of what had happened. The little boy's eyes grew wider and wider as he took in the information. After she finished, the occupants of the room held their breath. What would his reaction b-

"Really?! That's so cool!!" He breathed excitedly. The others facefaulted.

How stupid were they?! How the hell had they forgotten that little children believe almost anything you tell them? Naruto wanted to punch himself.

"Is that what I'm going to look like?! Do I learn cool stuff!? How strong do I get?!--" The boy was throwing out questions like a haywire vending machine. Naruto couldn't take it anymore and bonked the boy's head.

"Shut up, will you? Sheesh, was I really that annoying?" The chibi pouted up at him.

"Ow! That hurt! You're such a jerk!"

While the two squabbled, the adults let out a sigh of relief. Somehow this potential catastrophe had worked itself out. Quite nicely in fact. As long as they kept the kid distracted, they could send him back with little problem. Fujioka had been studying the two carefully. He turned to the sanin.

"I'd say there's at least a six year age difference. The same should be for the other. I can start making the array for the boy immediately."

"Alright, what about the older one?"

/twitch/ "Ah, weeelll..."

/

Hinata activated her Byakugan to search for the tiny blonde. She had been shaken at how terrifyed the boy had been at the sight of her and Iruka.

_I don't have any friends!!_

Her heart ached at those words. No friends. No family. Completely alone. He didn't even know Iruka-sensei yet. It made her wonder all the more how Naruto had become the person he is today. Determined. Loyal. He even had the ability to save people. But. Hinata frowned sadly, thinking back to the scratche headband of the future Naruto. It seemed that no one could save _him_.

She snapped out of her thoughts when her Byakugan spotted the tiny boy in the Hokage's office. Naruto was there too.

"Iruka-sensei, he's in Tsunade-sama's office!" He nodded curtly and they sped off towards the room. As they approached the door, an enraged shout thundered from inside.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T SEND HIM BACK?!"

/

Shikamaru, Neji, Shino, and Gai made their way to the third room to relieve Kakashi and Asuma. The boys were tense and gloomy, well Shino acted the same as usual. Gai was trying to cheer them up with his empowering speeches of youth, flames, will, youth, steadfastness, and did I say youth?

Neji's composure was cracking. His left eye twitched. "Gai-sensei, please shut up."

"So, soo troublesome."

"..."

"Come now, my youthful students! We must perservere in the face of tribulation! Don't let your flames of youth be put out!" Gai exclaimed enthusiastically. In spite of the disturbing news of Naruto's future defection Gai felt he must stay strong for his students and comrades. He needed to be a symbol of stability for them by acting as he always did, if not more so.

Suddenly a stiffling wave of killing intent washed over them. For a moment none of them could even breathe. It was so thick and heavy, like a physical weight on their shoulders. The aura ran its cold fingers down their spines. And then...

It was gone.

Gai snapped out of his paralysis. The murderous intent came from the room Kakashi was guarding!

/

It had been a very long time since Kakashi had been outright scared before. Terrifyed, was the better word. He felt like a rabbit facing down a bear. Completely overpowered and no where to go. He was trapped in the room with a cold-blooded predator.

The man, now named Kaien, sneered at him and lowered his bloodlust. "Maybe this time you'll remember."

The door slammed open. "Kakashi, what's going on?!" Gai shouted as they burst into the room. "urk, he's awake."

Kaien shot them a bored look. "Oh, it's you guys. Eh?" The blonde frowned as he took in the other three. _What the hell? Why do they look so young? They can't be any older than fifteen or so. What is going on?!_

The Konoha nin shared one thought.

_Crap._

_/_

Tsunade was seething. Naru-chan was cowering behind his older counterpart. Fujioka cleared his throat.

"I said that I can't send the man back, _yet_." The Hokage's upper lip twitched in a snarl.

"And why not?!"

"Well, it's kind of embaressing really. A miscalculation on my part, although it is rather hard on me-"

"Get to the point, Fujioka." Jiraiya snapped.

"I tested this jutsu on myself, you see. It was set for about ten years, forward and back. So I brought my younger self to the present, but my future self...well, it summoned a pile of dust." He muttered feebly. " I apparently die sometime in the next ten years. As you can imagine, I had no real need to send my 'future self' back, so I only developed a way to send the past me back. I never had to bother with the other one."

Tsunade grit her teeth, wishing she could strangle the trouble-making idiot. "Alright, so how long will it take to develop a way?" Fujioka scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Well, it took me about...one and half months to figure out all of the calculations and to draft the aray. But it was set for ten years; I'll have to recalculate everything for the both of them."

"Three months?! We can't afford to keep them here for that long!" Fujioka sighed.

"I didn't say it was going to be three months. Since I know how to do it now, it shouldn't take me more than a week to send the younger one back. But since I haven't figured out the aray for the future return, it will probably take a lot longer. So you'll have to keep him around for at least another month or so." Tsunade grimaced.

"And he happens to be the one who poses the most danger to us. Keeping a potentially traitorous jinchuuriki under arrest for over a month isn't in our best interest." Jiraiya said with a mildly appolegetic look at Naruto.

"The other big problem is trying to keep this from getting out. Not only to the public of Konoha, but to other villages as well." Tsunade said, interlocking her fingers. "We would have to keep the two of them isolated for that amount of time. Since Naru-chan has managed to escape already, we will need to put Anbu guards to watch them. Alright, Jiraiya, I want you to gather up the others and put an Anbu to keep an eye on the rogue until he wakes up. Make sure he knows how to keep quiet."

Jiraiya nodded and went to open the door. Standing right outside was Iruka and Hinata. They rushed in looking panicked.

"Hokage-sama, Naruto-" Iruka tried to appologize. Tsunade raised her hand dismissively.

"It's alright Iruka. We've sorted things out a bit. Naru-chan, I want you to go with Umino-san, alright? He's a nice man, who's going to look after you until we can send you home." She said kindly to the boy. He glanced at Iruka shyly.

"Okay."

" Iruka, take him back to the room and keep him occupied. I'll have one of the others inform you of the situation."

"Y-yes, Hokage-sama." Iruka offered Naru-chan his hand. The boy took it hesitantly and they left.

"Hinata, Naruto, I need you to stay here till everyone arrives." Tsunade said, sitting back in her chair wearily. The stress of this opporation was draining her.

Hinata sent Naruto a questioning look, but he just smiled weakly at her. Nothing ever seemed to go smoothly when it concerned him.

/

"Alright, what the hell is going on?" Kaien growled at the group, his mind whirling. Neji, Shikamaru, and Shino looked far too young. It was them alright; this was no genjutsu. But then how could they be teens?! Gai and Kakashi shot each other panicked looks.

"Did I fall into some kind of wormhole in time?" He asked carelessly._Oh? _He caught the faintest stiffening in Neji's shoulders, and a flash of worry in Shikamaru's eyes.

Alright, he needed to find some answers himself. He was about to throw off the chakra seals and escape when the heavy metal door opened again. At the sight of the new intruder, Kaien froze. For once he was completely lost for words.

"Hey, important meeting in the Hokage's office so-..." Jiraiya trailed off upon seeing the blonde awake. They stared at each other silently.

"..you're..awake." This snapped the man out of his stupor.

"Well, isn't that the phrase of the day?" He said lowly. _Am I in an alternate reality?! _Kaien glared at them fiercely, his patience worn thin.

He seared off the chakra seals and wrenched his arms free, snapping the chains and sending shrapnel ricocheting off the walls. The nin were forced back by waves of angry chakra, as the man ripped off the remaining restraints. He sat up and cracked his neck lazily, before looking up at the horrorstruck shinobi. He grinned nastily.

"You are going to tell me where-..or _when_ I am right now. You have ten seconds, so start talking."

* * *

Horrible isn't it. More problems pop up for every one solved.

I was thinking of making pairings, but I can't make up my mind.

ANOTHER IMPORTANT QUESTION: Should I bring Sasuke in?


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_He seared off the chakra seals and wrenched his arms free, snapping the chains and sending shrapnel ricocheting off the walls. The nin were forced back by waves of angry chakra, as the man ripped off the remaining restraints. He sat up and cracked his neck lazily, before looking up at the horrorstruck shinobi. He grinned nastily._

_"You are going to tell me where-..or when I am right now. You have ten seconds, so start talking."_

* * *

.bad.

It was the one identical thought in each of the shinobi.

This future Naruto would strike each of them down without hesitation. Their minds could not compute this new senario. Naruto the ever loving, bubbly, idiot mixed with the threat of an enemy.

The way they should respond to this enemy was hindered by their love for their comrade.

Jiraiya forced down whatever feelings that choked him as Kaien began to count.

"Ten, nine, eight, ..." he crooned in a sing-song voice that dripped with ill-intent.

"As you seem to have gathered, you are in Konoha and not in the right time-" Jiraiya started.

"-six, five, four,-"he stared up at the ceiling, flexing his fingers...

"We didn't bring you here on purpose."

The counting stopped.

Kaien brought his gaze back onto the sannin.

"Oh?" Jiraiya took his interest as a good sign and continued.

"There was an accident on a mission. We're trying to send you back-"

"Before things go haywire...I see." Kaien nodded, the gears whirring.

"But as you can imagine, we have some questions of our own, N-..Kaien." Kakashi carefully tread around the taboo word. The blond smirked at this.

"Yes, yes...all right then..." He murmured. Sharp saphire chips roamed over the others. Neji and Shikamaru were about...fifteen or so?

_Then that means_

"Tsunade is still Hokage then?" He asked Gai. Kaien chose to question a different shinobi. After all, he didn't want them to start getting comfortable yet.

_Still? _The others thought worriedly.

"Yes. She is." Gai answered, hoping that the idea of a loved one would calm the menacing nin. Said man delved into thought again, before whipping around to shoot Jiraiya another question; internally reveling in the way he made them stiffen.

"'An important meeting' you said?"

Jiraiya nodded.

Kaien beamed in a manner so like his former self that it gave them a mental whiplash.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?"

/

Iruka and Hinata led Naru-chan off to join Kurenai, Sakura, and Ino. The boy was a bouncing ball of sunshine and it warmed their hearts to see such innocence in this troubled time.

Unfortunately it was not quite enough for Iruka. While he made sure to smile for Naru-chan, his thoughts kept wandering to the oldest one.

_What happened?_

If they could learn what had changed him, maybe they could fix it.

Once again Iruka was ripped from his musings. This time it was a wave of chakra.

Only... it was a chakra that he had not felt since his childhood: Ferocious, bloodthirsty, and hateful.

Kurenai lept up.

"Stay here! I'll go and see what's going on!" She said, racing out the door. Sakura went after her.

"I'll go too!"

/

In the Hokage's office, the halfhearted attempts at cheerful banter had screeched to a halt.

Akamaru whined nervously while Kiba and the others tensed.

And then... as quickly as it had come... the chakra wave faded.

Tenten looked to Tsunade. "Should we-?"

"Wait." The others turned to look at Sai. Naruto thought he looked more tense than he had ever seen him.

"It's coming."

/

Asuma couldn't understand how it happened.

The pulses of that..._horrible_ chakra, had drawn them from their stations with the other two Naruto's. All panicked, fearing those in the room dead.

But then it had disappated. And with a bit of murmuring the group exited, shaken, but unharmed, with _him_ in tow.

He hadn't known what to expect when the blond woke but it was not this. The moment his eyes met the other's a fear like no other had gripped him. Paralyzing every nerve. The man had sneered and looked away.

Now Asuma was walking along-side him in the group of troubled shinobi who had come. Kaien, the man's name apparently, had agreed to wear the chakra restraints again, not that it would do any good.

They were escorting him to meet with the Hokage. He seemed to be enjoying the tension. The glint of sadistic pleasure in his ocean depths was irritating.

Asuma may not have known Naruto well, but he had seen the boy interact with his students and thought he was a good kid.

And now...Well, now he just wanted some answers just like everyone else.

/

Naruto had never heard anything like this.

It was a silence that was full of noise. A terrible, quiet noise that seemed to pull your strings tighter and tighter. It was a noise that wasn't audible. It was a noise that rang in your very bones.

It was the loudest silence he had ever heard.

Naruto shuddered. Like standing in front of Kyuubi. Overbearing.

Every step closer the thing came, the heavier the pressure was.

But there was no chakra. It was...

an essence.

A monster.

The room's occupants held their breath as the doors creaked open.

And water met ice.

* * *

Yes I am back. believe it or not. I will be updating all of my stories this month. so please review!


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